1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a conveyor system for a harvester having molded flexible buckets that mount on chains for fruit harvesters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fruit harvesters and in particular, berry harvesters, are used to mechanically harvest berries from plants, such as blueberries or raspberries, and collect and transport the berries from the field. Such harvesters typically include one or more conveyors that may include buckets that collect the berries loosened from the berry plants and dumps the fruit for cleaning and transport to storage and ultimately to other vehicles for transport from the field. A conventional over the row harvester is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
Endless conveyor run lifts, dumps and resets the buckets, which are typically mounted on endless chains of each side of the bucket. The cups or buckets are typically configured to overlap with adjacent buckets on the conveyor so that berries are not spilled between the buckets. The cups have been formed from a continuous belt, as shown in FIGS. 1-3. The belt, typically a PVC belt, is molded into a bucket or cup form and riveted to hold the bucket at an open orientation to receive berries and attach to rods mounted on continuous chains to the opposed edges of the belt. Although the formed cups operate in a satisfactory manner with little spillage, the assembly process is very labor intensive as the belt must be folded and several rivets are required for each individual cup. Rods or bars are typically mounted to connect to the two continuous chains for attachment of the buckets. The conveyors take the fruit from a lower portion of the machine where fruit is collected after falling from the plant and raised to the top of the machine where the fruit is dumped onto another conveyor belt where it can be cleaned, inspected and loaded into containers for further transport. In addition to being labor intensive, the continuous belt must be precut and is relatively expensive. It is also important that the belt material is sufficiently flexible to provide for mounting and flexing with the chain as it passes over idlers and sprockets. However, such required characteristics may adversely affect the useful life of the conveyor buckets and belt. Moreover, should there be a tear or one of the cups must be repaired, replacement may require cutting away a section of the belt and then splicing in a new section. Repair is relatively difficult and increases down time, thereby decreasing performance.
It can be seen then that a new and improved bucket and conveyor system is needed. Such a system should provide for buckets that overlap and minimize berries being spilled between the buckets. Moreover, such buckets should provide for easy, inexpensive and quick assembly. Such a system should allow for buckets that have a long life and are durable. The buckets should also provide for hanging at a proper angle and easy tipping and aligning. Moreover, should the system become damaged, the individual buckets should be easily replaceable with a further single bucket. The present invention addresses these problems, as well as others, associated with harvester bucket conveyor systems.